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I'll be honest. I joined twitter because I loved its trend feature. Any time I meet someone who is not on Twitter, I tell them why twitter trends, turns, to be a good source when you don't know what happened to who, where, when, why and how. "Oh my god, I need to get on Twitter." Is the response I get after such a con-ver-sensation
In truth, Twitter is where the pulse of big events lives in Ghana. For instance, breaking news about a diss track from Sarkodie to breaking news about a natural disaster, we live-tweet these events and stories so that we don't feel like we're experiencing them alone.
It is no more a surprise to see brands in Ghana jumping in, creating their own buzz around an event and fueling their online base with witty anecdotes, reaction GIFs, and original content of their own event and programs
The benefits of live-tweeting are immense as it enhances brand awareness, increases engagement, or draw attention to an event or campaign as it happens. Whether it's a seminar you're attending or organizing for your company, live-tweeting can be used as a magnet to turn a discussion room of 25 participants into a conversation of 10000+ people from around the world.
Live-tweeting requires as much strategy and expertise as your long-term social media plans do as a business.
In this article, I reveal a practical guide to live-tweeting any event and among others the secret sauce to a successful live-tweeting campaign. Ready?
To begin, I break this guide into three main sections; before the event, during the event and after the event.
Before the Event Secret Sauce
Put More Efforts into Preparation
As one of the lines of Bob Dylan said in his song, ‘It all right Ma' (I'm only bleeding), "he not busy being born is busy dying", the success of any live-tweeting event falls on preparation. Having a well-oiled process makes the event a success by 90 percent and cut out last minute glitches.
Events on social media move pretty fast but on Twitter, it's more like lightning. How many times have you not seen the trend list on twitter change? Although its fast on Twitter it benefits real-time conversations, it also means you need to keep up or risk getting left behind.
In other to be successful, one of the secret sauce is to stay organized while in the thick of things and not getting overwhelmed. These are the major things you should look into in your preparation
Do your research
Make sure you know the names of people gracing the event and especially how to spell them. Personalization is key on Twitter. Be sure to check if the individual name is, for instance, Adjoa or Adwoa and never assume Twitter handles of people. Make sure you have of everyone involved with the event Twitter Handle. Think about any questions your audience may have about the event and prepare answers if you have them.
Create Image Templates.
These will allow you to turn around content from the event. Make templates for images (876 x 438 pixels) that include the event hashtag, your logo, or other visual assets and use them to create content based photos or quotes from the event.
Set up Streams
You should setup streams using either TweetDeck or HootSuite. Streams help you track your hashtags as conversations trickle in. With this, you can retweet, like and mention influencers. Your streams should not be more than two. One should be for the official hashtag of the event, and the second for your Twitter list you've created of all the relevant people involved in the event. Setting up a stream for this list will ensure you don't miss a single Tweet from the most important people at the event.
Use the right hashtag(s)
Is it #GhanaBudget2018? Or #GhBudget2018? You may think it doesn't matter which hashtag you use while doing live-tweeting, but it does. Make sure you know what the official hashtag is, as well as any other hashtags that may come into play. If you're creating a hashtag for an event you're hosting, remember to keep it short. Make it easy to remember and be sure to check if anyone is using it already.
During the Event Secret Sauce
Photo Credit: venue.net.au
There is no awesome feeling when your live-tweet event resonates with your audience. The excitement is one of the reasons that make it worth it when incorporated into a social media plan for an event.
During the events though you should stay focus so you don't lose track of things. These are some of the secret sauce you should try during the event;
Deal with the Unexpected and Controversy
The unexpected and controversy can happen in any event. I have had a fair share but again if you prepare for the unforeseen you should be fine. In this part of the world, nothing should surprise you. From a poor internet or wifi signal to light-out, anything is possible. Make sure you check out the venue and location of the event. I recommend investing in a MiFi, power banks, laptops with strong batteries.
Then again there are occasions where controversies arise. A high-profile speaker may say something controversial. Great! Allow real conversations to happen, that's the whole point of Twitter. Engage and retweet opposing views, you can't beat a lively Twitter debate.
Track Event Hashtag
As said earlier you should use tools like TweetDeck and track your set-up streams. Keep your eyes open and be sure to use the event hashtag(s) in every Tweet you send. Look out for any developing hashtags event that might be relevant for your brand to start using.
Provide Valuable Contents
One of the mistakes we do and I am no exception is the frequent use of images in all tweets during live events. It's not all that bad but it will not hurt either to freshen things up. Providing valuable content in different formats.
My point is to try to use different engagement methods and aim to post many types of contents. Here are some examples:
- Tweet out quotes from speakers or presenters.
- Make sure your sentence, spellings and grammar are on point
- Search for questions asked using the event hashtag and answer them.
- Tweet questions or polls using the hashtag to engage your followers.
- Share photos from the event using your image templates.
- Post videos of behind-the-scenes footage, or updates from the event.
- Retweet event speakers, presenters, or performers.
- Retweet humorous or insightful comments about the event from other Twitter users.
Don't Forget your other Fans
Don't forget that the majority of your followers will also be seeing your Tweets. Since the majority won't be at your event it will be great to make their experience worth it. Right?
When you post a photo of a speaker, make sure you include more than a mention of their name and the hashtag in the Tweet. Your tweet should be in context, be it a quote or a link to more info. This will ensure that all your followers can find some value in your live-tweeting.
Make sure every Tweet you post is useful, entertaining, educational, or valuable. This will help you gain new followers. People who find you through your event hashtag may choose to follow you. if they find it interesting and valuable enough.
After the Event Secret Sauce
One of the great things about live-tweeting is the vast content it can provide you. You should Compile your Tweets into a blog post and share it with your followers in the days and weeks to come.
Likewise, you can use the images or videos you created while live-tweeting as content for your other social networks. Images featuring a quote from a speaker are perfect for platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
Your Turn
What is your take on live-tweeting? What challenges do you usually face when live-tweeting and how do you overcome them. Share your thoughts in the comment and don't forget to share.
About the writer
The writer, Caleb Eghan is a Digital Marketing Evangelist
